Cash Games: Limit Vs. No Limit

This is obviously an extension from another thread on this board, but I thought it would be good to have a general discussion, from a beginner's perspective, on these two games.

I have played poker for a long time, but it is really only in the last 4-6 months that I have gotten serious about it, and only about 1 month since I started playing regularly online. My bankroll is tiny ($150) and so right now I am only playing .25/.50 - with the occasional SNG or lucky dollar MTT thrown in there. I also play a live MTT once a week, but there is no money involved (www.redhotpokertour.com).

I believe that it is better for the beginner to start at limit - and here are a few reasons

1) fundamentals - limit is a game that requires you to learn and respect the fundamentals of poker - counting outs, pot odds vs. draw odds, how to play each street. Because you are denied the opportunity to make bets that force your opponents into bad situations, you must learn how to play correctly to be successful. Someone used a basketball analogy that is apt. You have to learn how to dribble, make a layup, make a jumper, make a chest pass and a bounce pass before you learn to dunk, make the behind the back pass and the crossover dribble.

2) bankroll management - because NL requires you to make those large bets, it is much easier to find yourself on a real fast downswing. In limit, if you are playing correctly, you will have your downswings, but they will tend to be more gradual. Onn the assumption that, as a beginner, you WILL make mistakes, in NL, those mistakes are likely to be far more costly than in limit.

3) analysis - I believe that it is much easier to analyse your game in limit. Again, because it is a game that relies on fundamentals, and because bet sizes are set, it is much easier to locate your areas of weakness. Do you overvalue your hand on the turn? Are you calling bets that are unprofitable? Because you remove bet size from the equation, these analyses are much easier over the long term. In NL, when attempting to analyse your play, you have to consider the same factors, but you also have to add the issue of your bet sizes.

I think that once you have a basic grasp of limit and the fundamentals of the game - and if you feel you can beat the game at the lower levels, then you make the choice - do I move up to higher level limit or do I switch over to NL - both of these moves require you to make adjustments to your game - and at that point, I think it becomes a matter of preference - of course, another factor is whether to focus on cash games or tournaments, but that is a discussion for another thread.